Friday, April 3, 2015

Janus Stark, the man-eel

Janus Stark, the man-eel. Janus Stark proposed for 135 numbers under the fantastic adventures and sometimes SF and, as such, remains one of the most regretted journals catalog My Journal. Janus Stark had his own magazine from July 1973 to March 1990. Quarterly up to No. 34 of October 1981, the magazine went monthly to 135th and final issue. But if it has counted 125 numbers with Janus Stark, there were 89 different episodes, the others being reissues (from No. 90, mostly). Each episode is about 35 pages, although some go up to 45 (only among those of Solano Lopez). Janus Stark No. 1

The N ° 1 with the origins of Janus. At No. 126 (July 1989), Janus Stark has given way to Mandrake the Magician, but for only 10 small numbers. Apparently, he has not managed to replace the man-eel in the hearts of readers.

We must also mention the 3 numbers (between March 1986 and April 1987) Special Janus Stark also offering editions in the first and the third number, but a novel in the No. 2.

Authors

Janus Stark is a British comics originally published in the weekly SMASH then in the weekly VALIANT (1971) (which also published stories like Klip Klop and under the title of "Wild Wonders") .. The first 33 episodes are drawn by the Argentinean Francisco Solano López. A cartoonist found to many series brushes published in small formats as Ethernaute in Antares. Other episodes (34-89) are new and made for My Journal by authors remained anonymous, apparently three in number. Paw F. Gamba we can still guess for a number of them. When the (x) writer (s) ... mystery!

The characters

A Janus Stark Child pub, Jonas Clarke, aka Janus Stark (1840-1880) lived in an orphanage run by Simon Tragg, director diverting funds intended for children, for profit. We discover the little Jonas trying to force the door to the kitchen (with a few friends) to get a little food. Tragg surprises and Jonas is locked up in the basement as punishment. He decides to escape using his nascent powers. Surprised by a police patrol, it is collected by Largo, a blind old man who teaches him the art of pick any lock. Quickly, Jonas becomes the Robin Hood of the streets of Victorian London, stealing from the rich "evil" to give to the poor. As an adult, he became a living artist exhibitions of his talented contortionists (thanks to a particularly elastic body) and King of Escape.

His tours often take to fight injustice and crime and then uses his talents to get out of the most hopeless situations. Janus Stark is a kind of fictionalized Harry Houdini and vigilante. It also will benefit from his first adventure to avenge Simon Tragg. Scholars have noted that the name "Janus" refers to an ancient deity with two faces, a symbol of ambivalence. Is this related to the fact that Janus is a vigilante who started as a thief? I do not know.

It is surrounded by some essential and recurrent figures:

Largo says "Largo blind"

He collected Janus after his escape from the orphanage and it is somehow his adoptive father. Despite his blindness, Largo is informed of all the gossip of London, he is always there when Janus needed. After saving Janus police, it will also indirectly the cause of his death ...

Inspector Bryant is in the offices of Scotland Yard in London. Suspicious of all, it is often happened to believe that Janus was guilty of many almost infeasible packages. Intractable enemy, but just Janus, it is his "Inspector Ginko" (Diabolik readers will understand).

Unusual

No. 89 Janus Stark "The voice from the grave" is particularly surprising. Indeed, this is probably one of the very rare cases (even a single case) which describes the death of the hero of a magazine. Not only one of the main characters, but THE hero of the story.

Wishing to save the life of Toby Fletcher, the nephew of Largo, stuck in the ruins of a factory that collapsed ... The tomb of Janus Janus Stark tries to save him, but for once his talent is not enough and there let life ...

We discover John Stark (son of Ben and Anne-Marie Stark), descendants of the brother of Janus who has lived in the United States (which is also unusual because the real name of Janus Jonas CLARKE not STARK) . John discovers he has inherited the powers of its ancestor. He even manages to get in mental communication with him.

You can discover the burial of Janus with Queen Victoria in the Janus Stark Special # 2 "Valley of Paradise" where her little son John saves even the president of the United States (Janus making frequent appearances in "ghost"). .

A rock band took the name of Janus Stark, reference, they admit, to an English comic 70s (their official website is at: http://www.janusstark.com/) Amazing, i dont no?

Appendices series

There have been many series in Janus Stark, here is a selection:

A rare pub Janus Adam Eterno (No. 1-51) Drawings by Eric Bradbury or Francisco Solano Lopez. In the Middle Ages, Adam is the assistant of an alchemist. When he discovers the immortality potion, Adam can not hold taste it. Unfortunately, it is caught by his master gives him a curse: he can die as a weapon in gold. In the scuffle that follows, the home of the alchemist burns taking his own grave. Adam (now en route, Eterno) sees the centuries pass without aging despite a strong will to seek danger to finally find eternal rest. Having reached our time it is rammed by a gold-plated car and starts to wander through the ages, stopping occasionally at a time, which invariably it tries to end his life while rescuing People with. Over the episodes, his propensity to seek death disappears.

Brian Ice: (No. 60-75) Lubinsky Brian is a former CIA agent who defected to escape civilization he dislikes. Yet very regularly, the world remembers him to solve a crucial problem. In turn, the CIA, billionaires or private individuals demanding help. Brian then leaves his ice retreat while maintaining a wry look at our modern civilization that exposes Suomi, his friend Eskimo.

NB: Suomi, is the name of Finland in Finnish.

Brigade Fantasy: (No. 19-29) Agency so X-Files before its time trying to solve puzzles under priori fantasy. They show most often it is a fraud.

The leather mask (N ° 58-98, 114-115, 119-126). Vanyo drawings. Blake Edwards is young, beautiful, rich and motor racing champion when a serious accident aircraft disfigures, making his monstrous face. He then compelled to wear a leather mask to protect him from the sight of all and flows into the most crazy feats to meet death. As he does not want to commit suicide, he still tries to get out there and still manages to her great despair ...

The Leopard Man (The Leopard Lime Street) (No. 79-87, 99-113, 1116-133) Scenario Tom Tully, drawings Mike Western (then unnamed Spanish designers). A boy inherits the powers of a leopard while living with an abusive father and a battered mother. He decides to become a hero in order to shoot himself and withdraw money. Finally, he will combine his photographic talents and avenger of the night. An excellent series that is reminiscent of Spiderman 1 episodes (period Ditko-Romita).

NB: We find this character in Antares & in Sunny Sun (under the name Leopard Lime Street).

Mandrake (No. 126-135) Scenario Lee Falks, drawings Fred Fredericks (character created by Phil Davis). Mandrake is a true magician who learned his craft at Xanadu. He is accompanied by giant black Lothar and his eternal bridegroom Narda in police adventures which he comes thanks to his magical talent.

Syntek (or Sintek) (No. 87-101) BD anonymous English Spanish authors. Bruce Tollman is a victim motorcycle champion of a serious accident. Syntek the professor and his assistant Anton illegally recover his body to recreate artificially. Syntek and his assistant are fighting and the teacher is killed. When Tollman wakes up, he has amnesia and prefers to run away discovering the body of Syntek. He is rescued by Hal Ford, a sports manager unscrupulous making it a sports champion to win a fortune. Ford front of embezzlement, Tollman (which took the name of Syntek) would go well, but he is a prisoner of blackmail. Anton, the teacher's assistant reappears because he wants to have the same transformation. As it does not access his demands, he likes to hang Syntek during his sporting achievements. Of late, Syntek Anton faces that turned into a bionic man in a duel that will end their mutual ...

Last Number (cov. Of Zamperoni)

NB: In some episodes (including the first), it is called "Sintek" is the spelling of the original English series.

Zarga (No. 10-19, 112-115). Zarga is an illusionist whose career seriously floundering when he discovers that he can self-hypnotize, is thus provisionally conferring the powers it needs. It would then used to enrich themselves, pursued by Gumble inspector but is struggling to get by because its hypnotic power often gives up at the worst time. On the last episodes, his attitude is evolving towards less crime. An amazing "hero" is actually a villain said, which made a brief reappearance in recent issues of Janus, but for reissues.

For all lovers of this character, do not miss the excellent website of Alain Decayeux at: http://janustark.free.fr/ with a detailed index of (almost) all the episodes and a maximum various information. A must in this area.

Alain Decayeux in its wake, has launched three other sites on related sets of Janus Stark Adam Eterno at http://adameterno.free.fr/, Syntek (http://syntek.free.fr/ ) and Zarga (http://zarga.free.fr/)

You can also consult the index of episodes Pimpf at: http://pimpf.ovh.org/monjournal/janus/ complete with an index on the annexes series. Although the journal ceased to be published for more than 12 years, Janus Stark maintains a strong approval ratings (with Mister No) among fans of small sizes as evidenced by an online poll on the site Pimpf.